Lifestyle Discussion

Every once in awhile we get into a discussion with visitors about how we arrived here at Happy Jack. It is usually while Bob is dispensing propane and the discussion leads to why we got rid of everything and began this lifestyle of traveling across the country while stopping to Workamp along the way. The people who have been a real inspiration to us are Howard and Linda Payne of RV-Dreams.com. Bob has been following their travels for at least three years and marvels at their philosophy and experiences. Following is an exerpt of a discussion that Howard also had just yesterday:

"As the discussion progressed, he said he was a painting contractor and business is so bad everyone in his area had cut their prices by 40%. He said he is struggling to keep his home of twelve years, he is behind on mortgage payments, services have been cut off, he had had to cancel health insurance.
It had been his dream since he left Chicago to own a home and now everything is falling apart. They were thinking of giving it all up and moving to Alaska to find their way. I could see this fairly young, good looking, intelligent guy was overwhelmed and in despair.
Then his focus turned to me. As these conversations usually go, soon I was telling him we were full-time RVers. I was explaining how we quit our jobs, sold all our stuff and have been traveling the country stopping every once in awhile to take on jobs.
The couple perked up, and once I divulged that I used to be a lawyer and accountant, the questions started coming in rapid-fire fashion. With a big grin, I responded "Yep, I was a real estate attorney and now I'm picking aluminum foil out of your firepit". :)
She was nodding with every statement I made. You could tell she had been telling him some of the same things about "stuff is just stuff" and there is more to life than owning a house. He kept asking questions and saying he could see a twinkle in my eye.
I told him about other full-timers we know that lost everything on a business, started out in a tiny trailer, and worked their way out of debt on the road. I told him about our website, about Workamper.com, about Caretaker.org.
By the end of our conversation, his wheels were turning. He said their one-day camping trip was worth those few minutes we spent together. They have a long road ahead of them, but I think they will at least have some hope that there are other alternatives and they can live a simpler life and still be happy."

We can attest to the fact that life is much more simple for us. This lifestyle obviously is not for everybody but if people need to connect better and realize there is more to life than material things, there is none better.

Anyway, our journey is just beginning and we look forward to the adventures and the simplicity that this lifestyle offers. Already, Josie is not feeling the constant pain and numbness she had in her hands and back that she had working everyday in a flower shop. She also has said on several occasions that she feels like she is on vacation and keeps expecting to have to go back to "real" work. That is a feeling that almost everybody gets in this lifestyle. So much for that right now.

We had a small storm go through the resort yesterday that dropped .01" of rain. It only lasted for about 15 minutes but it sure cooled down afterwards. We do the early shift again today and will be off around 1:30. That's about it for now...